Bedtime Bible Story

Saturday night I was home alone with the bugs as Allan was out all day with friends. Even though Elaina was overtired and Emily was getting sick, we had a sweet Bible and Devotional time before bed.

The story was about Job. I've heard it a million times. I've read it all the way through a few. I've even read a personal account about a women who lost a child to Mitochondrial Disease (Holding On To Hope) and how Job relates to her life and understanding of God.

There we were all snuggled together and reading about Job in one of our Children's Bibles. (My First Study Bible- Tommy Nelson Books)

" Why Good People Suffer. I am Job. I loved God very much and always tried to please Him. God was good to me. He gave me a large family, a beautiful home, and many nice things. Then my problems began. I lost everything I had, even my family. My friends told me that God was punishing me. But I knew better. When you have trouble remember my story...and trust the Lord."

The title was "I'm Glad I didn't give up on God." In simple terms so kids can get it, and grown ups to, it went on to tell the story. One after another a messenger came to tell Job about overwhelming loss. Catastrophic, actually. His wife wanted Job to curse God and die. Job refused. He was tested by God. He remained faithful and persevered. He was Blessed over and over.

When we walk with God, life will never be peaches and cream and happy all the time. Living is hard. Earth is tough. There is joy to be found and happiness to be had. When God gives us Good we are so ready to praise His name. When the going gets tough, we've decided that He has turned His back on us. That He's Forsaken us. Yet the Bible says, " I will never leave you or forsake you."

When we walk through the fire, we are molded and changed. It takes heat to melt the hardness of our hearts. The ugliness of our souls. When we cool, we can have a beautiful luster, if we allow Him to work within us.

The "Think about This" section at the end read: "When good things happen to you, do you thank God? When bad things happen to you do you blame God? Job could have blamed God for all the bad things that happened to him. But he didn't. He loved God and Knew that God loved him, too. We should thank God for everything we have."

After Eric died, I became pregnant with twins. For a long time I thought it was because God was showing off to the medical world by saying, "Look, you think you know everything with all your research and knowledge, but here's some twins. I can do anything." Years later my Mom told me that God gave me twins because He loved me. Still brings me to tears when I think about it. I remember that He told me that someone else was supposed to join our family. Along came Elaina.

Eric and Ava were an expression of His love too. Through them I think I learned just how much a mother can love her children. And how free I am to love the bugs on earth.

Somehow we feel like we are entitled to happiness and an easy life. We aren't. Somehow we think that when God is in control of our lives the struggles are absolved. Not so.

I scares me to think about all we have left to loose on this earth. All the trouble that can come. Then I look and see all He's done for us even in the darkest times. Clearly I am not thrilled with the path He has lead us down. The thing is that He is leading and whether or not I am thrilled, angry, happy, or sad, He is in charge of it so I can deal with it. Sometimes it doesn't seem like it, but I know God has our best interests in mind. So I hang on to that as I watch my bugs stretch and change. I hang on to that as Allan and I do too.